Couples Retreat
by foxyfeline
Summary: JJ & Morgan go undercover as husband and wife to investigate a couples therapy retreat when couples who attended the getaway start turning up dead. Will the assignment bring out hidden feelings or will it push them further away? Will exists but he is not part of this story.
1. Chapter 1

_I've had this story on my computer for a really long time now, like before the Season 7 finale but my muse left me and I haven't had the interest to continue this story. But recently my muse and writing bug have returned. So here we go….. _

_The rating is starting out as "T" but it could change to "M" later._

_Disclaimer….I don't own them. I really really wish I did but unfortunately I don't. _

Chapter 1

JJ rubbed her eyes as she attempted to read the file in front of her. To say she tired was an understatement. After the long night she had, she was downright exhausted. Henry had come home from day care with a cough and fever, JJ had spent the majority of the night in her son's bed comforting him and keeping an eye the fever. The fever broke around 4am which allowed JJ a few hours of sleep before she had to get up and get herself and Henry ready for their respective days. Unfortunately, 4 hours wasn't enough sleep for her these days.

Since she and Will had split taking care of Henry fell solely on her. Not that she would ever complain, she loved her son more than life itself but it was beginning to take its toll on her. She would've broken sooner if it weren't for friends, her family. They had all stepped up to help her as much as they could and as often as they could. One teammate in particular had gone above and beyond to help her.

When Morgan had learned of Will's leaving, he threatened to beat the crap out of him for what Morgan deemed "being the stupidest man alive for walking out on a great son and even greater woman." JJ hadn't been able to hide the blush which crept onto her cheeks when she heard him say it. She was truly touched by his words and even more so by his actions that followed. When he could, Morgan would come by after work to play with Henry to give JJ time to unwind and get things done around the house. He even cooked them dinner on more than one occasion, surprising JJ with his level of culinary skills.

The more time they spent together the closer she and Morgan became. They'd known each other for years as both friends and teammates but after Will's departure they'd learned more about the other in those few months than they had in the 7 plus years of knowing each other.

"Tired?" the voice next to her asked, rousing her from inner monologue. JJ nodded. "Henry's feeling better?"

JJ smiled at Morgan's genuine concern for her son, "Yeah. Thankfully his fever broke early this morning so he was able to go to day care."

"Good." Morgan replied before returning his attention back to the file in front of him. "If you guys need anything, just let me know ok?" He said nudging her with his elbow before flashing her one his mega- watt smiles.

Nodding and smirking JJ couldn't help but think how lucky she was to have a friend like Derek Morgan in her life during this time. Hearing Garcia start the briefing, JJ turned her attention to her friend.

"Ok kiddies, today you will be jet setting to hills of Pasadena, California where the local police are dealing with, well they aren't sure what they're dealing with" Garcia started before pressing a button her remote bringing up pictures of a white male and female in their early to mid-thirties. "Meet Mr. and Mrs. Sean Higgins. He's a commercial real estate broker and his wife, Katherine is a stock analyst. Very wealthy and successful couple, they've been married for 3 years, no children." Clicking the remote again, she brought up two new pictures of the same couple, this time they were very bloody and very much dead. "They were found two days ago by Katherine's older brother James who, when he didn't hear from his sister, went over to their home and found them like this. Police have ruled it a murder-suicide but her brother James insists his sister would never do anything like this"

"If it's a murder-suicide why are we being called in?" Prentiss asked as she twirled her pen in her hand and looked around the table at her teammates who wore the same confused expression as her.

"Oh well, that's a good question and I am getting there but first let me introduce you to couple number 2" Garcia replied bringing up photos of another young couple "Meet the Silver's, David and Stacy. They own a successful marketing firm in Downtown Las Angeles. Yesterday morning Stacy died in a car accident and at first glance it looked like just an accident. That is until the police inspected her and found that her break line had been cut. They've ruled her death a homicide and the number one suspect, " Garcia paused waving the remote towards the screen behind her causing one of the photos to move front and center. "Husband David. According to friends and family the young couple had been having marital trouble and just three weeks prior to her death had returned from a couples retreat."

The team sat silently, all still very much at a loss as to why the deaths of the three people on the screen warranted them being called in.

"Baby girl, I still don't see why we're being called in" Morgan asked as he turned his attention from the video screen to his tablet, skimming ahead to see if the big 'reveal' was upcoming.

Garcia started to reply when she was beat to it by Hotch "Both couples recently attended and returned from a couples retreat which many believe to be nothing more than a scam and in fact our first victim, Sean Higgins contacted the police to say as much. And according to Katherine's brother both she and Sean were telling family and friends the same thing and that they intended to go to the authorities to expose the retreat for being nothing more than a glorified spa aimed at draining money from couples who were not only having marital troubles but were also very wealthy."

Garcia nodded in agreement before finishing where Hotch had started, "Right and after their deaths were ruled a murder-suicide the issue was sort of dropped except for big brother James who told police his sister told him they were being threatened by someone from the retreat's staff. Now she never told him who but he did say both his sister and brother-in-law were afraid yet still determined to come forward"

"And not long after they both end up dead" added JJ as she scanned through the information on Sean and Katherine Higgins.

"Right and the big whammy you are probably wondering what that is?" Looking around the table Garcia paused to see if any of her crime fighters had figured out what she was going to reveal next. When none of them spoke up she gave them the answer. "Both couples attended the same retreat at the same time."

"And let me guess" started Rossi "both couples were going to blow the whistle on this so-called retreat?"

"Bingo. Give Mr. David Rossi a dollar" Garcia replied before picking up her own tablet and continuing. "Now David Silver is the obvious suspect in his wife's death but he, like the Higgins has said the whole couple retreat thing is a total scam and when the lead detective on the case heard both his and James Scotts stories he began to wonder what if it's true? So he decided to do a little snooping on this couples retreat which by the way is called 'Love's Haven' lame I know, but anyway when he started looking it he noticed that while there were many and there were many satisfied customers there were quite a few not so satisfied customers. He tried contacting some of them who refused to talk to him except to say the place was a rip off but it was who he didn't speak to that peaked his interest. Four years ago, Steven and Mary Clark, a litigation team from Dallas Texas were murdered during a home invasion. Now to any outsider their deaths looked and sounded just what they claimed to be, but to those closest to them they always thought it had something to do with 'Love's Haven' because not long after they returned from their time there the couple filed suit against owners Mark and Allison Shaw for fraud. Friends who the detective spoke with said the couple, while determined to see the suit through were afraid Shaw was capable of some nasty things and according said friends even threatened the couple not long before their deaths"

To say the team's interest was piqued would be an understatement. They were now all listening very clearly and Garcia was sure she could see their profiler wheels turning in their heads.

Reid was the first break the silence "what do we know about Mark and Allison Shaw?"

"They opened 'Love's Haven' about 7 years ago after what they claim was a rough patch in their own marriage and when they discovered how communication, openness and bonding had saved them they decided to share their vision with others. Now when they say others they really mean only those who meet their standards. Entry into their week long retreats is very exclusive with a screening process and list of criteria the couples have to meet not to mention there is a waiting list about 3 months long."

JJ scoffed "wow they charge $10,000 a couple for 7 days of communication and bonding? No wonder they didn't want anyone accusing them of fraud, they're making a fortune."

"Not to mention the criteria to get in" added Prentiss "Did you see what the couple has to earn in order to even be considered?" she asked looking around the table before continuing "Jointly, a couple has to earn no less than $300,000 a year and that's the lowest they will go for acceptance. Their ideal candidate it looks like must earn twice that."

"What I find more interesting" started Reid "are the physical requirements"

"What do you mean?" asked Garcia who was extremely confused. She was too busy being shocked at how much it costs for a couple to get help they could probably get almost for free if they had the right insurance. It never ceased to amaze her, the lengths at which some rich people will go to be happy.

"I see where he's going with this" answered Rossi "The couples can't be married for less than 3 years and no more than 10. The age requirement is 25 to 35 and they can't have been married more than twice. They want rich young married couples who at theses ages don't really know the values of marriage"

"They want impressionable people" finished Hotch

"Exactly, those other couples were right. This is a scam"

"Not to mention good looking ones" Prentiss mumbled as she looked the brochure Garcia had downloaded to their tablets. It earned her a few odd looks from many of the team but she quickly defended her opinion "have you looked at their brochure?" she asked looking from person to person "they might as well be advertising Barbie and Ken apply only. All their guests have the same look, young, beautiful, most are blonde and some of the couples literally look like Barbie and Ken"

"To go with what Rossi and Hotch just said about them wanting impressionable newly married couples, the fact that they all have to be somewhat rich shows the unsub is playing to their sense of vanity and to a certain extent their sense of acceptance" Reid became as he skimmed through the brochure on is tablet "married couples often looked to their elder counterparts for advice on what to do and what not to do in a marriage and the Shaw's are playing on that. When young couples get married they want to prove to those around them that they were right in their decision to take such a big step. Having money and getting married at a young age means there is a level of society that is watching and scrutinizing their every move. They need validation and that's exactly what this couples retreat gives them or at least it's what they think it's giving them."

"Well the screening process obviously is meant to weed out those they feel they can't manipulate or win over" added JJ who while listening to the whole notion of couples counseling wondered for a moment that if she and Will had sought counseling if they would still be together.

"How exactly are we going to investigate them?" asked Morgan who was directing his question solely at Hotch "I mean we can't just walk in and start questioning them or their guests. Other than the words of an accused murderer, four dead former guests and a grieving and obviously upset brother we don't have any proof."

Hotch nodded in agreement. He had actually thought of this when Garcia first brought this unusual case to his attention. Given the exclusiveness and private nature of not only the retreat but its owners and guests there was only one way they were going to be able to get any information. Nodding to Garcia to put the plan they had formulated into action he turned to Morgan "I thought of that and it's why we are going to take a different approach and send two people in undercover" Just as Hotch said the word "undercover" Garcia dropped two rather thick packets on the table, one in front of JJ and the other in front of Morgan

Morgan immediately picked up the packet, opened it and began going through the paperwork inside. JJ on the other hand, hesitated and to mask her uneasiness she simply looked over Morgan's shoulder at his paperwork.

Even though she tried to hide it Hotch noticed JJ's uneasiness immediately. He couldn't tell if it was the thought of going undercover or if it was going undercover with Morgan that caused her to be unsettled. "You names are Derek and Jennifer Steele from D.C. Morgan, you're a financial advisor and JJ you're a media consultant for a P.R. Firm. You've been married for 2 years, no children and your net worth is nearly $10 million. Garcia has created all necessary paperwork, ID's, resumes, business cards, bank statements, everything to convince the Shaw's are you who and what you say you are"

"Wow baby girl you out did yourself this time" Morgan complimented as he shuffled through all the paperwork in his packet, pausing when he got to his and JJ's marriage certificate. He fingered the document, silently wishing the last name on the document was different.

The last six months he spent with JJ and Henry had made Morgan come to some realizations about the current path of his life. One was that he was ready to settle down and have a family of his own. He'd always been a little jealous of what Will and JJ had together. They'd always seemed so happy which was why he was completely shocked when JJ told everyone Will had left her and Henry. Having lost his father at such a young age he felt for Henry and what he was going to miss out on. At first he just wanted to let JJ know he would be there for her and Henry no matter what they needed no matter the time. However, as time went on Morgan found he wanted nothing more than to spend all his free time with JJ and Henry and much to his surprise Henry wanted him around too, as did JJ. He and JJ had grown close over those months and Morgan again found himself wanting more, but this time only when it came to JJ.

Morgan was broken from his thoughts by Hotch "the two of you will be pretty much on your own"

That piqued JJ's interest for sure "how do you mean?"

"Garcia" Hotch said deferring to the technical analyst to explain further

"Well we will be able to communicate by cell phone but I won't be able to monitor your movements inside the compound. Their network is so isolated that if I tried to hack in the moment I were to type the word 'go' so to speak they would be on me in a second. It's not that their security system is super sophisticated it's just there is like no traffic for me to hide behind like a normal network so the moment I hack in, they will discover me. It won't keep me though from being able to monitor what they are doing. For instance, if they decide to check up on the two of you I will be able to see what they are searching for and if it looks like they are getting into an area we don't want them to I should be able to beat them to the punch and change, add or delete any information necessary."

"From what the detective has told us about the guests who were willing to speak to him, guests have access to the internet, cell phones, and freedom to move around the grounds." Added Hotch

Garcia scoffed "no doubt they monitor everything every guest looks at online so try not to use it for anything other than simple searches"

JJ took a deep steadying breath. "While Morgan and JJ are at the retreat the rest of us will be interviewing former guests, family and friends of the victims and digging up anything we can on the Shaw's. Detective Tane, the lead detective on the case thinks he may have an employee of the retreat willing to talk and tell us more about the layout of the compound and its security. Ok?" Hotch looked around the table at his team and waited for any questions when he got none he closed his file and tablet and stood up "Wheels up in thirty"

With that JJ quietly gathered her stuff and headed for the door. She wasn't sure what she was more nervous about, going undercover or going undercover with Morgan.

_Well there is chapter 1. Please be sure to let me know what you think and if I should I continue._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the reviews. Glad you guys are liking the story thus far._

_Disclaimer remains the same….don't own'em. _

Chapter 2

The 'welcome party' was in full swing. All the guests who had either been invited or returning for a second time were gathered in the compound's great hall where the alcohol was flowing freely as were the bragging egos of many of the more wealthier guests. All Morgan and JJ could do was to tolerate them and outwardly smile all the while inwardly cringing at their crassness.

Morgan watched JJ talked with one of the other wives and he had to admit she looked gorgeous in the black one shouldered gown she was wearing. He certainly hadn't missed some of the turned heads and stares from the other husbands when they walked in. At first he thought it was because they were inter-racial but soon he realized when many were falling over their own feet to introduce themselves, it was definitely JJ's looks that had gotten their attention. To his own surprise, it made him feel more invigorated than it did jealous. All these other men were jealous of him because of who _he_ had on his arm. Of course on the other side of the coin, the wives of those same men were looking him over as well. He took it in stride because the woman he wanted on his arm was already on it.

With each woman who fawned and drooled over Morgan, JJ became more and more uncomfortable. Well, at first that is. Once she realized Morgan wasn't the slight bit interested in any of them, probably because they were all married, she felt a certain amount of smugness wash over that Morgan was hers and not theirs. Of course as soon as she recognized the sensation for what it was JJ pushed it away because after all who was she to feel this way about her friend and colleague who more than likely didn't feel the same way?

She was startled from her thoughts when she felt an arm wrap around her lower waist. Momentarily freezing up because she wasn't used to the sensation, JJ quickly turned to her head to see Morgan had come up beside her. Realizing it was him she immediately relaxed into his embrace; a little too easily she thought to herself.

After Morgan felt her relax into the embrace he leaned in and whispered into her ear, "These people are more concerned with talking about themselves than they are anything else. It's no wonder they all need some couples counseling."

JJ felt a shiver go down her spine when he felt Morgan's hot breath on her ear and neck. She chuckled in response to the comment trying not to feel and look nervous that his arm was wrapped around her waist, occasionally rubbing small circles on her lower back. He definitely had that part of the cover down pat.

Feeling her tense up Morgan leaned in again, "You alright? Is something wrong?"

JJ shook her head "no everything is fine, I'm just not used to the closeness that's all." She figured honesty was the best policy right now since they were in a room full of married couples who would no doubt pick up on her tense body language. She figured if he knew about it he could at least adjust to it accordingly.

Morgan smiled and after a moment pulled his arm back and switched his drink to that hand as to not arouse suspicion for the sudden pull back. He completely understood her feelings. After all it had been nearly seven months since Will just up and walked out and she was just starting to get used to being alone. Not to mention in all the years of knowing each other he had never touched her like that before so no doubt it made her a little uncomfortable. One thing was for sure though the next 7 days were going to very interesting where the two of them were concerned.

As soon as his arm was gone a part of JJ felt empty. She wasn't sure if she was more uncomfortable with him touching her in that way or if she was more uncomfortable with the fact she liked him touching her in that way? Her feelings about Morgan were a mixed bag of nuts right now. Most of it stemmed from her feeling guilty for wanting him in a capacity that was more than just friendship than it was about being scared of those feelings. The next week was definitely going to be interesting for sure.

Their respective thoughts were broken by a male voice asking for everyone's attention. Turning their attention toward the stage Morgan and JJ immediately recognized the male as Mark Shaw and the woman at his side as Allison, his wife. "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Love's Haven." Mark Shaw paused as the applause of his guests roared. Once it died down he continued "My wife Allison and I would thank all of you for coming and being ready to take your marriages to the next level of trust and compatibility. So enjoy the rest of the evening because we get started bright and early tomorrow morning" The applause roared again as the couple moved into the crowd shaking hands and greeting guests as if they were politicians running for office.

It made JJ want to vomit that people were actually buying into this guy's crappy rhetoric. Looking over at Morgan she could tell he was thinking the same thing. They spent the rest of the party politely mingling with the rest of the guests before calling it a night and heading to 'their' room.

As JJ went into the bathroom to change Morgan walked around their room to 'check' things out and make sure they weren't being spied on. To his chagrin he discovered they were indeed being watched. In the corner of the room behind an air vent was a motion activated camera. If someone didn't know what to look for they would never know the camera was there but having the trained eye he did, Morgan was able to quickly spot it. Without making it obvious he was looking, Morgan moved around the room to test the visual range of the camera and he breathed a heavy sigh when he realized the only places in the room the camera didn't see were the corner directly below it and the bathroom.

The thought of the bathroom made him think of JJ and made him wonder how they were going to fool the 'eye in the sky.' No doubt the Shaw's planted the cameras to keep tabs on their guests in order to assure them their "therapy" was working both outside and inside the bedroom. Morgan wondered if the bathroom too was monitored but quickly dismissed the idea because in doing so would open the Shaw's up to a host of problems and given how elaborate the scheme they had going was, there was no way they would jeopardize it with the threat of a lawsuit.

Even though he was aware of the camera Morgan changed in full view of it because doing anything to the contrary could arouse suspicion that he knew it was there. Once done he turned down the bed, got in and watched t.v. while he waited for JJ to emerge from the bathroom. And as if on cue the bathroom door opened and JJ exited wearing a modest negligee top with matching shorts. Morgan's breath hitched in his throat as he took in the curves of JJ's body. Sure all the major parts were covered but the negligee definitely revealed parts of JJ Morgan had never seen before or thought he'd ever be privileged enough to see.

JJ couldn't help but feel her heart beat a bit faster when she saw how Morgan was looking at her. It made her feel wanted and incredibly sexy because for Derek Morgan to look at you in that way meant you were worth looking at. Silently thanking Garcia just a little for making her pack some of her more sexy lingerie, JJ took a deep breath and approached the bed pulling back the covers enough to see Morgan was thankfully wearing a pair of sweatpants and slipped in beside her "husband." Suddenly she was greeted by Morgan half rolling on top of her his head buried in the pillow next to hers. "Ummm Derek…" she started to say when his husky voice cut her off.

"There's a camera behind the air vent in the corner of the room over my right shoulder." Without making it obvious JJ wrapped her arms around his neck and glanced over Morgan's shoulder and there behind the vent was the camera. It had taken her a moment to notice it because it was fairly small but once her eye caught its faint red recording light her eyesight adjusted and she was able to fully see it.

Dipping her head into the crook of his neck she asked him that very question. "How did you even notice that?"

Pulling away just enough to look her in the eye and so his back was still the camera Morgan propped himself on his elbow "I figured unsub's like these with such a high happiness success rate had to be spying on their clients somehow."

Neither realized the physical position they had put themselves in because they were too busy throwing theories back and forth "I wonder if any of our couples saw it and that's what made them accuse the Shaw's of fraud?" JJ speculated

Morgan shook his head, "I don't think so since each couple stayed the entire week. I mean if you found a hidden camera in your room would you be willing to stay?" Morgan chuckled a little as he finished the question obviously knowing the answer based on the 'are you serious' look on JJ's face.

"Obviously then something else happened during the week that made the 6 of them suspect they were being de-frauded" JJ wondered biting her lip as she did. The act made Morgan want to kiss her but he knew that was not possible. "Do you think the camera has sound?"

"No. That would be illegal. If a guest did find the camera the Shaw's could claim they were simply used for security but if there is sound and they are recording without someone's knowledge then they could be arrested. These unsub's are smart, way too smart to make a mistake like that"

JJ knew what the answer would most likely be but she asked anyway "Ok but no doubt someone is watching so what do we do?"

Morgan inhaled deeply and hoped his solution wouldn't get him a knee to the groin "we make it believable"

"Believable?" JJ asked raising an eyebrow. How the heck were they supposed to fake having sex and make it believable?

A thought suddenly came to Morgan, "we're here because we are unsure of our marriage right?" JJ furrowed her brow but nodded anyway "we're having some problems?" again JJ nodded "ok so we roll around a little, make it look real and then for some inexplicable reason you push me away and roll over. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah" JJ replied nervous about this plan but knowing they were being watched, it made total sense. Then without warning she pushed Morgan onto his back and straddled him leaning forward so their faces were mere inches apart "watch where you put your hands" she whispered.

Smirking Morgan turned the tables and rolled them so he was on top "you watch where you put your hands" JJ couldn't help the chuckle that escaped past her lips she couldn't believe how easily they fell into this little arrangement. It almost felt right, like it was meant to be. "Oh yeah that's such a turn on, sweetie" Morgan placed heavy emphasis on the word sweetie as he pretended to nuzzle JJ's neck.

"Well honey" JJ said as she pushed him on his back again, "You'll just have to deal with it now won't you?" Both broke into a small fit of laughter as they went back and forth and for a little while longer adjusting their position every now and then to make it as believable as possible.

However, all joking came to a stop when, as they were switching positions their lips met in a slow lazy kiss. As their lips separated JJ and Morgan just stared wide eyed at each other neither knowing what to say about what just transpired. Unable to form any words JJ enacted the second part of their plan and pushed Morgan off her then quickly rolled on to her side being sure to face away from him.

Morgan rolled onto his back and just stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before glancing at the back of JJ's head trying to figure out what, if anything he should say. It wasn't as if he didn't want it to happen because he did but he felt, based on JJ's reaction that he should apologize. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish to start to say something but stopping before any words were able to come out, Morgan just sighed heavily and rolled over onto his side hoping sleep would find him quickly.

JJ could feel his eyes on her but she refused to turn around. Morgan could read people like a book and she was afraid if she did turn around her eyes would give away her true emotions. She wasn't sure she could face him and see the apologetic pity in his eyes so she stayed put pretending to be sleep. When she felt the bed shift she knew he had rolled over so she closed her eyes and prayed for sleep.

_Please remember to review :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for all the reviews and words of support. They mean a lot. Be sure to keep those coming._

Chapter 3

The first night of the investigation didn't really garner any new information. Hotch and Prentiss had spoken with James Scott but his interview didn't reveal anything Detective Tane hadn't already told them with the exception of one detail he hadn't mentioned before because the police refused him access to pictures and information from the crime scene. James was convinced he could prove his sister wasn't responsible if he could just see the crime scene photos and after Prentiss showed him a picture of his sister holding the gun she supposedly used in the killings he knew for sure she wasn't responsible. When Prentiss asked why he was so sure James made the startling revelation that his sister was left handed and the hand the gun that had been used to shoot her and her husband was in her right hand. It was a detail only someone who knew Katherine intimately would be aware of but important none the less because it told the team the odds of Katherine Higgins switching hands to shoot her husband and then herself were extremely small.

It definitely raised some more questions as well. Someone knew the couple not only had a gun but also knew where it was kept and they were able to get into the couple's home without disturbing anything as there had been no sign of forced entry.

The team did get a small break in that the offices for 'Love's Haven' were offsite in downtown Pasadena giving Garcia access to some of the employees files which revealed many of the security personnel on the retreat's payroll had records for assault, permits for carrying concealed weapons and some were even former military. Their suspect pool had just gotten a whole lot bigger.

The next morning JJ and Morgan showered and dressed in relative silence as they got ready for their first couples bonding exercise. At breakfast they made a conscious effort to sit with some of the more tolerable couples they met at the welcome party the entire time avoiding any conversation about what had transpired the previous night. Thankfully they made it through breakfast without any of the couples noticing and questioning them about the tension between them.

However, it sounded like their first exercise would do nothing except increase the tension between them. Each couple were instructed to venture out onto the grounds, find a semi secluded spot and share something with their partner they had either never told them before or something they didn't know about them. The exercise was bent to break down the walls of secrecy and create openness in the relationship an endeavor at the present moment neither JJ nor Morgan wanted to partake in.

Reluctantly the two set off being sure to watch where the other couples went and then heading off in the opposite direction. After a short walk they found their semi-secluded spot under a large weeping willow tree an ironic spot thought JJ. There they sat in silence, neither wanting to be the first to say anything about the kiss they shared the night before but seeing one of the instructors lurking near their location JJ decided to bite the bullet and at least start talking about something.

They were told to be honest so she decided that's what she was going to be "When Will first left I thought it was something I had done."

JJ had spoken in such a hushed tone it took Morgan a moment to realize she had even spoken. When he figured out what she had said he was shocked it concerned Will. In all the time he'd spent with her in the months since the Cajun had left, she never once talked about the circumstances surrounding his decision to leave. Garcia told him JJ had confided very little to her about it so he was very surprised she blurted it out as she had. Realizing it was an olive branch of sorts, Morgan decided to simply sit and listen to what she had to say.

"We have…had a child together and one day he just up and decides he wants to go back to New Orleans that he doesn't want to be a dad anymore. When I asked him why he told me I knew but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was and when I couldn't take it anymore I demanded he tell me" JJ felt as if a weight was being lifted off her shoulders as she opened up about the circumstances of Will's leaving something she had been holding in for nearly 7 months. "He told me it was because I put our family second by returning to the BAU. Can you believe that? He was the one walking out the door but I was the one who put him and Henry second."

A lone tear began to slip down her cheek and he wasn't sure what compelled him to do so but Morgan leaned over and caught the tear with his finger, wiping it away. "He's an ass and JJ" he then moved the hand from her cheek to the one on her lap and took it in his own. "It's not your fault he obviously didn't want the responsibility of being a dad anymore and used your job as an excuse to bail." Looking around to make sure no one was in ear shot before leaning in and adding to him what was the most important part. "You are a great mom to Henry, don't ever forget that."

JJ eyes immediately filled with tears. Taking her hand out of his she wiped away the tears and attempted to compose herself "Thank you Derek. You've been so amazing these last 7 months and I don't think I've thanked you enough for it."

At that moment Morgan wanted to hop on a plane, fly to New Orleans, beat the shit out of Will and ask him how he could possibly walk out on such an amazing woman and an even more incredible son? He was truly amazed at the strength of the woman before him. "JJ you don't have to thank me. I wanted to be there" Morgan paused before continuing because he wasn't sure how she would interpret what he was going to say next. Deciding that since she had been so honest with him he would be the same with her "I grew up without a dad simply because he walked into a store one night and the guy holding up the place decided it was easier to pull the trigger on his gun then it was to simply run past him out of the store. And then there was Carl Buford. You know how that turned out too." JJ nodded "I promised myself that I would be the father I was never able to have and that I wouldn't let my destroyed childhood get in the way of that. I wanted to be there for Henry because I couldn't and still can't understand how a man could walk out on his son. Both you and Henry deserve better JJ."

JJ was completely taken aback by Morgan's confession. He had been such a player in the years she'd known him but in recent years he had grown and matured. She knew about his past but she didn't know how much it had influenced his desire to be a father. She immediately thought back to a weekend not long after Will had left where Morgan had taken her and Henry to a fair and he was determined to win Henry every toy available no matter the cost to him. She remembered how happy Henry was that day riding on Morgan's shoulders as they walked through the petting zoo tent pointing out and naming each animal they passed by. Even though he was allergic Morgan pet and fed the sheep because it was what Henry wanted. Yeah she thought to herself, Morgan was going to make a great father someday.

Then the thought hit her; was he sharing all this with her because he wanted to be more to her and Henry? JJ tried to read him but Morgan was the master at hiding what he was thinking and feeling and since she couldn't be sure, she decided not to ask.

Morgan watched JJ take in what he had just confessed and he wondered if she picked up on the fact that he was trying to tell her he wanted to be more than just friends with her. Her silence told him either she did and wasn't saying because she was scared or she did but she didn't feel the same way and didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying so. Deciding to take one more chance which he hoped would help get his point across more "JJ about the kiss last night"

JJ didn't give him the chance to finish "Derek don't worry it was an accident." As soon as the words left her mouth JJ cringed inside. She wasn't exactly sure why she felt the need to say such a thing because she did want to talk about it and she so badly wanted him to know how she felt but she scared.

"Yeah I know that but what I want you to know and what I'm trying to tell you is that…"

Suddenly loud fog horn could be heard flowing across the grounds causing both of them to nearly jump out of their skin and Morgan to be cut off. Next they heard the voice of their instructor over a bull horn telling them the exercise was over and to return to the main building.

Feeling the moment broken, Morgan stood up and brushed himself off before extending a hand to JJ. Once on her feet JJ looked Morgan in the eye and asked him what it was he wanted to tell her. Morgan just shook his head "It's ok it can wait" he said as he motioned for her to go first in walking back to the main building.

JJ weakly smiled and nodded as she took the lead. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say regarding what had happened but the damn bull horn put a stop to it and after all he had confessed she wasn't about to push. If he said it could wait, then she would be willing to wait.

Their walk back was spent in total silence.

_Keep those great reviews coming! ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all so much for the reviews! They are really helping to keep my muse red hot. I'm glad you like the story and hopefully I can't keep up with those expectations with each new chapter. Lol_

_Without further ado here is the next chapter…._

Chapter 4

While Morgan and JJ got in touch with their inner feelings Rossi and Reid went to interview David Silver at the State Penitentiary where he was being held for the murder of his wife Stacy. A murder he was adamant he didn't commit.

"Mr. Silver I'm David Rossi and this Dr. Spencer Reid, we're with the FBI. We're here looking into the couple's retreat 'Love's Divine.' We understand you and your wife attended one of their week long seminars about 3 weeks prior to her death."

"I didn't kill my wife." David started, slamming his cuffed fists on the table to accentuate his point. "Those people at that damn retreat are responsible for Stacy's death. We were going to expose them for the con artists they really are"

Rossi leaned in "What made you suspect they were con artists?" They were fairly certain the man was innocent but before they told him as much they wanted to hear what he had to say uninhibited.

Silver adjusted himself in his seat and picked at his cuticles before telling his story "Stacy and I were having a good time, we felt like we were finding out more about each other than we did before we got married. We were in the main building where the offices are and we were a little tipsy sneaking around looking for a place to" he paused looking at the two men raising his eyebrows to get them to understand where he was going. When they both nodded back they understood he continued with his story "we tried a few doors and they were locked but finally after about the fourth or fifth locked door we found one unlocked and slipped inside. The room was dark and we stumbled around looking for a place to relax when after a minute or two Stacy found a lamp and turned it on. Well the office turned out to be conference room and on the table were files for all the guests that were at the retreat with us"

Rossi's interest was more than piqued by this. They knew the Shaw's did intensive background checks and were very specific about the clientele they allowed at their seminars but what David Silver was describing was the targeting of guests. "What were in the files?"

"Things were circled like occupations and salaries. I mean we all filled out questionnaires about what we did for a living and some likes and dislikes but I never told them how much I made at my job and some of the files were starred as if to say those people were more important than others"

"When did you find this out?" asked Reid who up until now had remained silent

"Two nights before we were set to leave. The rest of our stay Stacy and I toiled over what we should do, if we should say something. In the end we decided to stay quiet for at least that night but the next day we asked if we could see Mark and Allison one on one with the pretense we wanted to thank them for what wonders they had done for our marriage. They agreed and in their office we asked them about the files and it was like two totally different people had emerged from the one's we spent 6 days with. Mark Shaw threatened us right off the bat saying if we told anyone about what we had seen they would ruin us. We didn't believe them. I mean c'mon they run a frickin couples retreat what could these people possibly do to us? Well I got my answer didn't I?" He held his head in hands and silently sobbed over his lost wife. "And no one, no one believes me"

Rossi and Reid shared a look before Rossi reached across the table putting a hand on the torn man's arm "actually Mr. Silver we believe you."

Silver's head shot up in total disbelief "you do?"

Reid cleared his throat "we believe the Shaw's may have had a hand in another couples untimely demise as well"

Rossi picked up from there "Do you remember a couple named Sean and Katherine Higgins?"

Silver emphatically nodded

"Yeah nice couple we shared a table at dinner with them two of the nights we were there. What happened to them?"

"We think they may found out something similar to you and realized the Shaw's were con artists. Their deaths were staged to look like a murder-suicide"

Silver ran a hand through his the shock evident on his face "my god. All I wanted to do was put some fire in our marriage and look, I got my wife killed"

Rossi explained it wasn't the young man's fault for what happened that he couldn't have known what he was signing him and his wife up for because the Shaw's were obviously very good at what they did. Silver asked if all this meant he could go free and sadly Rossi and Reid had to explain to him not until they found hard evidence that linked the Shaw's or someone who worked for them to Stacy's cut break line. They told him to sit tight because they were going to get him out all he had to do was be patient.

The young broken man told them he could hold out for as long they needed him too knowing that vindication for him and his wife was forth coming.

After returning to the station Rossi called Garcia and told her he wanted to know everything possible about Mark and Allison Shaw. Con artists as good as them don't just pop up out of nowhere. Rossi had no doubt the couple had been doing this for a long time and this couples retreat was them just taking a step toward perfecting their craft.

Seeing Rossi very animated while on his cell made Hotch ask Reid what was going. "He's asking Garcia to look into the Shaw's. Turns out they target their guests after they arrive"

"Target?" Detective Tane inquired

Hotch nodded "Many con artists with a set up like this will single out and focus in on specific people targeting them as ones they think are easy and or worthy marks"

"In this case it's their salaries and occupations that make them the targets" Started Reid who was scribbling notes down on a dry erase board. "This is obviously a long term con meaning the Shaw's want return customers or even investors in 'Love's Haven' out of those they target. They saw the Higgins and Silver's as threats to what is potentially an endless supply of money" Reid looked over at Hotch and noticed the concerned look he had on his face "What's wrong?"

"If the Shaw's are targeting based on wealth then we may have inadvertently made Morgan and JJ a target"

"How so?" asked Tane

"We inflated their net worth to make them appealing to the program and be accepted but according to what Reid just said it goes beyond just being accepted into the retreat, if they are targeting their guests after they arrive then there is no telling what lengths they will go to insure they get what they want." Hotch stared at the tack board that had pictures of the victims on it "we need to expand our search for former guests as well as employees"

By now Rossi had rejoined the group "What are you thinking?" he asked following Hotch's line of sight to the tack board.

"I'm thinking there are more victims out there just not all of them are dead"

Rossi looked from the blackboard to Hotch and summed it up in one word "blackmail"

Hotch sighed and nodded

Mark Shaw reviewed the files before him. This new crop of couples to come through his doors was the best group yet. He had already narrowed the field of 20 couples to 5 whom he felt would yield the best results for him and Allison.

As if realizing her husband was thinking about her, Allison Shaw came up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Are these the new candidates?" She asked removing her arms and coming around to stand next to him.

Laying the 5 files out in row for her to see Mark nodded. "Yes. These 5 show the most promise. Especially these two couples" he said using one hand and pointing to a young rich couple from L.A. while the other hand pointed to JJ and Morgan.

Picking up JJ and Morgan's file, Allison scanned over their portfolio as well as their illegally obtained bank statements and resumes. "What's their story?"

"Newly married and unsure of their future" Mark replied with smirk. "They want to learn to communicate with each other better and prepare themselves for their long lasting future together" Mark replied with a voice heavily laden with sarcasm.

Allison rolled her eyes in disgust "Where do these people come up with this crap?" She asked tossing their file back onto the table before picking up another and skimming through it.

"Well my dear their 'crap' as you put it is what's keeping us in business" Mark replied as he slowly pulled the file from her hands. "We keep playing our cards right and soon it will be retirement time"

Allison folded her arms across her chest "as long as there are no more screw ups"

Mark narrowed his eyes at his wife "those screw ups were handled were they not?"

"They were but I'm surprised your methods haven't made the police camp out on our front lawn. That detective…."

Mark scoffed "that detective couldn't find his ass with both hands if someone handed him a road map to it. We've dealt with stronger and smarter before and we came out on top. We'll be fine"

Allison knew her husband loved to push the limits and lately he was pushing them to the max. She just hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt them. "If you say so" she said before heading out of the room to check up on their guests.

Morgan wanted to crawl out of his skin. He was currently sitting listening to the other husbands describe what they disliked about their wives and it made him wonder how some of these men managed to get a woman to marry them in the first place.

One guy complained that he disliked how his wife sent everything to the dry cleaners which he found that preposterous because after all he paid the help to do the laundry so why send everything to the dry cleaners and leave them nothing to clean? Morgan wanted to slap him.

Several of the dislikes were along those lines however he was impressed by one young man who said he liked how his wife insisted they do a 'date' night once a week no excuses and they wouldn't go out to eat but instead cook their meal each week together. He said at first he was reluctant because he could barely boil water but he discovered it was less about the dinner and more about them doing something fun together. Something he found ironic because hated cooking and never thought it could ever be fun.

While some of the other husband's poked fun at the kid for what they felt was cheesy Morgan couldn't help but commend him for having what he did. Someone to come home to not only to share a meal with but someone to have fun preparing it with as well.

Letting his mind drift, Morgan conjured up a scene of him and JJ in his kitchen joking around tossing pieces of nondescript food at each other occasionally taste testing what the other was preparing or in this instance, attempting to prepare. Companionship, lasting companionship was something over the past year Morgan had begun to yearn strongly for. Having buried his feelings for JJ deep down inside himself he never thought, given her relationship with Will that those feelings would ever have the chance to come to the surface but with Will's departure those buried emotions were slowly working their way up from the abyss he had placed them in. Morgan knew that when they did finally break through to the surface, they would do so with a passion he had never experienced before and there would be no pushing them back down once that happened.

Morgan was so lost in his thoughts that he was vaguely aware someone calling his name. "I'm sorry what?" he asked looking around the group for the person who called out his name. Hearing his name again his attention was drawn to the counselor running the session.

"I said Derek it is your turn to share a like or dislike about" the man paused perusing the sheet in his hand for Morgan's wife's name

"JJ" Morgan finished. Seeing the look of confusion on the gentleman's face as he searched his papers for the name he had just been given Morgan smirked "her real name is Jennifer but everyone calls her JJ"

The man stopped looking and made an "Ah ha" face then scribbled down the factoid next to JJ's name on his paperwork.

Morgan had hoped no one would ask why her nickname was JJ when their last name was Steel. Sadly he wasn't that fortunate no sooner had he scribbled the note down did the counselor ask the question. Morgan explained that when they were little JJ's younger sister couldn't say Jennifer so instead she would just say the first letter of Jennifer twice therefore making her 'JJ.'

Thankfully they all bought the story as fact and didn't ask any more questions. However, the side bar hadn't gotten Morgan out of the original task he was asked to do so he was honest and told the group what it was about JJ he liked most.

"She's caring and compassionate. She always puts the needs of those around her first and she'll sacrifice her own happiness to make sure it happens" As he said the words Morgan's thoughts immediately drifted to Henry and how much JJ sacrificed to ensure her son had everything he wanted and he was happy. "She brings out the best in people. She brings out the best in me"

Even the men who earlier Morgan considered shallow and selfish were moved by his final statements regarding his 'wife.' Examining their reactions Morgan could tell none of them could say the same about their spouse, not even the young man who did date night with his wife. It made Morgan feel proud he had a woman like JJ in his life.

Now only if he could find a way to tell her.


	5. Chapter 5

_Can't keep saying thank you enough to all of you who review and who are following this story. It means a lot to me and it keeps these new chapters coming so please be sure to keep the reviews and comments coming. ;)_

Chapter 5

Emily felt her eyes starting to cross. She and Reid had been reading over statements, toxicology reports, and complaints related to anyone who attended the retreat. Garcia had managed to find them some more guests and even a few former employees all who were less than thrilled with their experience while at the retreat but had made it a point to drop and forget whatever complaint they had with the Shaw's. Many were reluctant to speak with them especially after they heard what happened to the Silver's and James' but after some prodding a few agreed to give off the record statements regarding their visits.

She was about to take a break when something in David Silver's file caught her eye. It was in an early statement he'd made about his and wife's final days at the retreat and what they had stumbled upon, she was surprised the police even wrote it down since none of them believed a word he said regarding his the Shaw's and his overall innocence.

Putting his file down she quickly picked up one that belong to a former guest they had been able to dig up who was able to tell them about their suspicions regarding the Shaw's and their time at the retreat.

"Hey Reid" she called out over her shoulder as she glanced back and before between the two files

"Yeah"

"What the hell is "Yohimbe?"

Without even looking up for the file he is scanning Reid answers in his usual matter of fact way "Yohimbe is a natural aphrodisiac that increases blood flow to the genital region as well as increasing sexual sensitivity. In some people it actually feeds their sexual excitement"

Prentiss just raised an eyebrow and stared at him "what the hell does that mean?"

Reid stopped reading and looked up at her with a sheepish expression "well, it um, I guess best way to describe it would be the person gets so sexually aroused that depending on the dose they can't control their excitement and need for sex"

"Oh. Ok" It was Prentiss's turn to be matter of fact

Reid waited for an explanation from her and when none came he couldn't take the not knowing "Why do you ask?"

"Well" she started as she lined up the two files which had piqued her interest and scanned the page for what she was looking for "I'm reading over David Silver's statement to police after his wife's death where he tries unsuccessfully to tell them he is convinced Mark and Allison Shaw had something to do with her death."

"Rossi and I already established he said the police didn't believe him"

"Yeah that's not what catches my attention. The police ran blood work on him and Katherine just as a matter of protocol to be sure they weren't on anything and well their tox screens came back with something odd"

Hotch who had entered the room unbeknownst to either of them and just stood and listened until that moment "Odd how?"

"Well I asked Reid what 'Yohimbe' is because it turns up not only in the Silver's toxicology reports but in tox screen of the Higgins and one of the other couples Garcia dug up. The traces in the first two couples were minute but the trace in the third couple was" she paused as she looked through the report "wow a lot higher, like nearly double the level of the others. All three couples had trace amounts, again the third couple more than the others of Ecstasy"

"What made the other couple get tested?" Reid asked as he began looking for traces of the drug in the files before him "The Silver's and Higgins had a reason why they were tested but why the others?"

"Uhh it looks like the wife had some sort of allergic reaction to something their last night at the retreat. She said at first she thought it might have been from some of the food they ate, apparently she has a mild allergy to shellfish. Anyway because she wasn't feeling well she decided to go see her doctor and since she wasn't presenting with any obvious signs of an allergic reaction her doctor ran a full blood panel."

"They were all drugged" stated Hotch as he glanced through the file he had picked up

Prentiss nodded

"When was the blood work run?" inquired Reid

"Two days after she left the retreat"

"It explains why their levels were higher. By the time the unsubs acted on their threats to shut the couples up their bodies had metabolized most of the drugs."

"Reid, you and Rossi go back and see David Silver again. This time ask him if at any time he felt as if he had been drugged and if he does remember ask him when and where he thinks it took place. We may need to warn JJ and Morgan"

Reid nodded and left in search of Rossi to bring him up to speed so they could head back to the prison David Silver was being held in.

"Why drug them though? Other than to make them more pliable to being manipulated"

Hotch sat down in Reid's vacated chair and began going through the stack of files the young doctor had in front of him.

"If the drug Reid described is the type of aphrodisiac which all but makes it irresistible to ignore the sexual desires and needs of those who ingest it then it goes to the unsubs need to show the couples their therapy has worked as well as their need for control. If their guests are happy then they are controlling the outcome and stacking the deck in their favor."

"And it has worked so well the guests can't keep their hands off each other. Gotta hand it to them it's pretty smart, the last nights at the retreat the alcohol is flowing freely so none of them will notice that what they are feeling isn't a by-product of alcohol. Great way to keep your so called success rate up"

Hotch nodded "yes until someone figures it out or complains. Then being drugged becomes the least of their worries."

"Yeah keeping their lives is"

Rossi and Reid waited for the police escort to finish removing his shackles before they jumped in to their inquiry.

Rossi opened a file and pushed it towards David. The young man looked at it with a confused expression on his face.

"What is this?"

"This" Rossi said reaching across the table to point to a section of the files paperwork "is your toxicology report after you were arrested. Do you remember the police drawing blood?"

"Yes vaguely. I was pretty much still in shock after what they had told me about Stacy I wasn't really paying much attention to what was happening to me" His eyes ventured down the paperwork til they reached where Rossi's finger was pointing "what does it say?"

Reid leaned forward "it says both you and your wife had trace amounts of an aphrodisiac called Yohimbe and as well as Ecstasy in your systems"

In shock David Silver rose from his chair and the level of his voice soon followed "I've never taken anything stronger than an aspirin in my life and Stacy was even more adamant about not taking drugs"

Rossi gestured with his hand for the young man to calm down and return to his seat. Reluctantly he complied but the veteran agent could tell the young man was still wound very tightly

"When you were at the retreat do you remember eating anything that tasted funny or made you feel funny?"

Silver leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Yes. The last two nights the alcohol had been flowing more freely than earlier in the week but by then no one really cared to notice everyone was just having a good time. Normally I don't drink that much but when I do I can hold my own with the best of them."

"But that night not so much?" asked Rossi

"It wasn't that I couldn't hold it, it was more like it had a stronger effect on me"

"How so?" asked Reid "Was it that you felt sick or different?"

Silver whipped his head towards Reid "that would be a good way to describe it, I felt different. Not bad different just different. Everything felt new and light. Like I wanted to touch and experience everything"

Reid leaned in close to Rossi "that would be the effects of the Ecstasy."

Rossi nodded in agreement "What else did you feel?"

Silver looked down and avoided eye contact "Honestly, horny. I really wanted sex and so did Stacy. It's why we were searching for a room and why we came across those files"

"Ok Mr Silver once again you have been a big help" Rossi said as he and Reid rose from their seats

Silver mimicked their action "please just catch the bastards so I can get my life back and properly mourn the death of my wife"

The men nodded and started to leave when Reid stopped and turned back to Silver "Mr Silver at any point did you feel as if you had been drugged? And if so, at what point do you believe it happened?"

Silver looked off into space to think about the answer to Reid's questions "the toast. Yeah I think it wasn't long after the toast Mark made that I began to feel different. But again it was a good different. If you hadn't just told me I'd been drugged I would have went on thinking I was just drunk. Again, all I thought about was finding a room for me and wife to…"

Rossi raised his hand "uh we get the point."

"No you don't. Even after we were escorted out of the conference room and we knew we had reservations about the Shaw's and what was going we still went back to our room and had sex. The need was overwhelming"

"But you were still in control of your faculties and aware enough to know right from wrong?"

"Yes. We just didn't care"

After hearing what Rossi and Reid had learned from David Silver and instructing them return to the station a more devious picture of the unsubs began to emerge in Hotch's mind. Their need to control went beyond keeping those who opposed them quiet. It extended to controlling the experiences both sexual and nonsexual of their guests. He was starting to worry regarding his decision to send JJ and Morgan undercover.

_Don't forget to tell me what you think. ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the delay for this chapter. My weekend was super busy and I barely had time to sit down let alone write for this story or post a new chapter here._

_Some of you were a little bummed the last chapter didn't have as much JJ/M as you may have liked but this is a story with a case in it and I have to move to the case along as well as JJ & Morgan's relationship. I promise the payoff will be well worth the wait just hang in there with me._

_Enjoy_

Chapter 6

Morgan arrived back at the room to find JJ already there sitting on the bed reading a magazine. It was obvious from her lack of response she hadn't heard him come in which was nice because it gave him the opportunity to study her. She seemed relaxed and less tense and the bags that had been present under eyes for much of the past few weeks were slowly diminishing.

"Hey" he said startling her. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you"

"No it's ok. I was just thinking" she replied putting the magazine down on the bed next to her.

"Anything interesting?" He was fishing for information on whether or not she was thinking about what he had said to her or if she was thinking about something completely different.

Turned out to be something completely different

"So our ladies session let out early and I managed to do a little snooping"

Something completely different, yet still totally relevant

"Really? And?" He pulled the desk chair over next to the bed so he could prop his feet up.

JJ couldn't help the small smirk that formed on her lips. "I ran into Detective Tane's C.I."

"He have anything interesting to say?"

"Well, and I have no idea how he managed to find this out but apparently we have made some sort of 'short list' of very important guests. What that means or entails he didn't have the time to tell me"

"Con artists who create schemes of this magnitude with this many marks have to at some point single out certain targets who meet their specific needs. More than likely it means we have piqued their interest somehow"

"Well the kid did tell me we should be careful. So I don't think being picked for the 'A' team first is necessarily a good thing"

"No I don't think so either. Have you heard from Hotch or any of the others?"

She shook her head

"Alright. We don't have anything to tell them yet so it's best to keep the chatter down to a minimum. No doubt when they have something they will contact us"

An uneasy silence then fell between them. JJ tried to make herself usual by organizing her clothes in her luggage but that only took up a few moments of her time.

"Are we gonna talk about what happened last night?"

JJ stopped what she was doing but she didn't turn around

"Or are we just going to ignore it and pretend it never happened?"

Morgan watched as JJ's shoulders dropped in defeat and a heavy sigh escaped her lips but she didn't turn around. He waited for what felt like an eternity for her to say something but when she did speak it wasn't really an answer that resolved anything.

"I don't know"

"JJ…"

JJ quickly spun around and interrupted him "Morgan it's complicated" she paused waiting to see if he would say anything or if he was going to let her continue. She took his silence as her cue to continue "Will leaving left me with a lot of questions not just about our relationship but about me as well. Was it something I did? Could I have done something differently?"

Morgan began to speak but she put her hand up to stop him

"I know these are questions that probably have no bearing on what happened but I can't help thinking about them. And last night, well last night added a whole new barrage to my growing list of questions. I guess what I'm asking for here is time. Time to work it all out, not just regarding Will but regarding" she trailed off and motioned her hand between the two of them indicating she understood where he had been coming from earlier and she wasn't saying no. She was simply saying 'give her time' "this isn't just about the two of us, I have Henry to think about as well"

Morgan rose from the chair and approached her "I understand JJ, I do. Just understand that you don't have to go through it alone and when you're ready I'll be here"

"Thank you"

It was if a fog had lifted between them. While they hadn't truly resolved any of their emotional issues they had at least come to a mutual understanding of what was going on between them and that in time a resolution would come.

The team was going over everything they had learned up until this point. They were talking amongst themselves when Detective Tane's cellphone began beeping indicating he had a text message.

"Everything ok?" Hotch inquired when he saw the serious look on the detective's face

"It's my C.I. He made brief contact with Agent Jareau"

"What did he tell her?"

Tane scanned the text message "nothing other than to tell them that they have made the Shaw's 'short list' of important guests"

"That's just another way of saying they are one of the couples they'll be targeting" added Prentiss

"Ask him if he can get a message to them"

Rossi gave furrowed his brow at Hotch. JJ and Morgan had their cellphones on them so he wondered why he wanted the C.I. to convey a message.

As if reading his teammates expression Hotch quickly added "it's better if we keep the chatter between us and them down. If they are on the radar of the Shaw's then no doubt there will be extra scrutiny on them we can't risk their cover being blown by text messages"

Rossi nodded in agreement. He had much respect for Aaron Hotchner and he knew above all else, even the case at hand the safety and wellbeing of him team was his number one priority. He trusted the younger man's instincts and if he thought this a prudent method of communication, then they would go with it.

Tane relayed Hotch's inquiry and was rather surprised when his C.I. said he could meet him in person to go over any information they wanted him to relay.

"What is it?"

"He says he wants to meet tonight to go over what we want him to do"

The team exchanges confused glances. As far as they were aware no one, with the exception of a select few were allowed to leave the retreat grounds once a session had begun.

"How can he get out without being seen?"

Tane asked the question and all waited on baited breath for his answer for if the informant had a way of getting off the grounds without being seen it meant there was a way, when the time came for the team to sneak on to the grounds.

"He says there is a spot on the grounds where the wall meets a creek bed with an underground tunnel for the water to drain out. The locks on the gates are broken on both ends. He says it's how many of the staff sneak off the property to go into town or get supplies not readily available on the grounds"

"Meaning drugs?" queried Prentiss

It was an aspect they hadn't considered before. That one of the employees, not the Shaw's was the one obtaining the drugs being used on the guests.

"If it is an employee who obtains the drugs for them it leaves them with culpable deniability. They could simply say their employee gave the drugs to the guests therefore leaving them in the clear of any drug charges" added Reid

"This couple is very smart" spat Rossi. If the situation weren't so serious with two of their own alone on the inside then he might actually be impressed by these two unsubs.

"What should I tell him?"

"Tell him we will meet him tonight in a place he feels is a comfortable safe distance from the grounds. The last thing we want is his cover being blown"

Tane nodded and began typing

"By the way" Tane stopped typing to look at Prentiss "what is this guy's name?"

"Shane Markum"

Prentiss nodded and looked over at Hotch who was already on his cell calling Garcia "Garcia, get me everything you can on a Shane Markum and Garcia, we need it as soon as possible" He hung up the phone and nodded to Rossi who understood his reasoning behind the background check

Tane however, did not "why do you want everything on Markum?"

"Detective how well do you know this informant?" There were too many unknowns in this case and Hotch wanted to be sure they had all their bases covered

Tane shrugged as he looked around the room "Fairly well I guess. He was the one who brought me the intimate details we have on the Shaw's. I know you all were able to gather more but if it weren't for him then I probably would not have looked deeper into the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths"

"He approached you?"

"Yes. Why is this important? That's usually how confidential informants work, they bring us the information and we run with it"

It was Reid's turn to step up "we just want to make sure that he is not working with the Shaw's and feeding us or JJ and Morgan information in order to protect the Shaw's"

Tane shook his head "Yeah I don't know about that. This kid seemed genuinely moved this had happened to these people"

Suddenly Hotch's phone rang, it was Garcia

"You're on speaker phone Garcia"

"Well as you asked my fearless leader I got all up in the life of one Shane Markum and surprisingly he is clean. He went to a four year college, got a degree in communications, he is an only child and his family lives in Sacramento, California. He started working at the retreat 4 months ago and is employed as a concierge."

"Ok thanks Garcia. Let us know if you find anything else"

"You know it boss man"

Hotch closed his phone and looked at his team "it appears he is on the up and up"

"Appearances can be deceiving" retorted Rossi

"Detective did he reply to you with a time and location?"

"Yeah uh 1am at the Monfort city park. It's a small family park that closes at dusk and is relatively secluded"

"Ok tell him we will meet him there and tell him to come prepared to answer questions about the layout of the grounds and type of security there is"

"You got it"

_Please be sure to let me know what you think with a review_


	7. Chapter 7

_Yes I know it has been soooooo long since I updated! I can't apologize enough for that but my muse, as quickly as she reappeared to start this story she disappeared again! And then all of a sudden the urge to write struck and here is a new chapter! _

_Now I can't promise that this means new chapters will be popping up every day but I'm hoping that this sudden burst continues._

_Enjoy_

Chapter 7

Prentiss tried desperately to keep her eyes open. It had been a long day and the lack of rest was beginning to catch to up to her. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and tried unsuccessfully to stifle the yawn that escaped.

"I saw that" Rossi joked never taking his eyes off the darkness outside their vehicle.

"Oh c'mon you're gonna tell me that you aren't the least bit tired? We have been going non- stop since we arrived"

"Oh I didn't say that" he glanced at his watch to check the time. Their informant was nearly 45 minutes late. "I was simply stating an observation"

Prentiss rolled her eyes. "Our guy is late"

Rossi was about to radio to Hotch about what they should do when a lone figure emerged from the brush about 100 feet ahead of them.

"That him?" Emily asked as she sized him up. He couldn't have been more than 30 years old and his body language screamed he was nervous.

"Let's go find out" Rossi replied as he opened his car door.

Prentiss quickly followed suit and the two of them joined Hotch and detective Tane as they approached the young man.

"Shane?" called out Tane as he reached out to shake hands

Markum quickly took the out stretched hand and gave it a firm shake. He hoped his sweaty palms didn't betray the strong tough guy look he was trying to put forth. The entire trip from the compound he kept looking over his shoulder to be sure no one was following him.

Noticing the young man's uneasiness and obvious desire to return before someone went looking for him Hotch decided to make the meeting as short and sweet as possible.

"What can you tell us about the security for the retreat?"

Focusing in on the tall man before Markum took a steadying breath and began to relay as much as he could about the layout and security rotations as he could remember from what he had seen with his own eyes.

He was able to tell them the guards made rounds on the property every hour with about 4 to 5 men doing the job. He was unable to tell them if they were armed with any type of weapons only to say whenever he saw or ran into one of them there was no obvious signs the men carried anything for protection. To him it seemed the guards were more for show than anything. He had no doubt if someone were to try and sneak on the grounds or if someone was found sneaking out the men would _do_ something but he didn't necessarily feel they were like Navy Seals or anything.

Markum had also drawn, rather crudely, a map of the main building with all its entrances and exits including one from the storm cellar which was only locked on the outside he discovered. The door from it to the house was never locked. He pointed out that all the points of entry were covered by surveillance cameras and the security office was located on the second floor not the first. He wasn't really sure why but he thought it had to something to do with the fact that the Shaw's suite was on that floor.

Rossi looked over the crude map the young man had drawn and he had to admit the place was more like a fortress than a couples retreat. "These "x's" you marked in several of what appear to be hallways, what do they stand for?"

"Besides the cameras on the entrances and exits, a couple of employees have told me there are also hidden cameras in several of the hallways and meeting rooms. The x's are the ones I know for are there for sure. The ones in the hallways" he said as he leaned over and pointed to a couple "are ones either leading to or directly outside the Shaw's personal suite and their office"

"They are definitely paranoid" Rossi mumbled as he continued to look over the drawing. He noted the unsubs bedroom or suite was not more than three doors away from their office.

"Apparently the Shaw's like to see first- hand how their guests are getting along"

The group didn't miss the young man cringe

"Why do you say it like that?" asked Prentiss

Markum's brow furrowed in disgust "they put hidden cameras in the guest's bedrooms so they can watch"

The three FBI agents shared a look of concern

"Do our agents know about the cameras?" Hotch asked. His concern for Morgan and JJ's safety had just grown exponentially. If they didn't know about the cameras and did something to give themselves away as connected to the police then their lives could be in danger.

Markum shrugged "I don't know"

"How many other employees know about the drainage pipe?"

"I'm pretty sure most if not all of them. One of the other employees who likes to smoke something other than cigarettes if you catch my drift told me about it when I first started and I was griping about there not being any good junk food on the grounds. He said some use it to go into town to score drugs but most use it to go hang out at some of the local bars"

It was Prentiss's turn to furrow her brow in confusion "And the security guards don't notice groups of people coming and going?"

"The security guards when not on duty sneak out too. Well most of them do. The other guards get to come and go as they please"

"Other guards?" asked Tane

"Yeah the ones who are nearly permanently attached to the Shaw's at their hips. Those guys come and go through the main gate in a black sedan. And those guys I'm sure carry guns"

"They must be the enforcers" Hotch whispered to Rossi "The ones who do the actual dirty work"

Rossi nodded then turned his attention back to Markum "you said some of the other employees go into town to score drugs"

"Yeah"

"Do you know what they get?"

"Well one of them, the one who told me about the drain, gets weed and there is another guy, Sean Collier, he kind of keeps to himself and he's a little shady if you ask me but I've heard from others he has the connect to get you whatever you want. I know he definitely scores Ecstasy for the staff and some of the guests. The odd thing though is he doesn't always use the drain to leave the property"

"What do you mean?"

Markum explained that while the guy will leave the property to score drugs, often for the guests themselves through the drain once or even twice a week the guards will drive him off the property to score. No one knows where they go but when they come back the guy usually has some really good stuff to share with the rest of the staff and he always stops at Shaw's office first when he comes back.

The team had no doubt the drugs Sean Collier was getting the Yohimbe doctors had found trace amounts of in all of the victim's blood. All they had to do now was find out who more about him and where he went to get his supply.

"Has this guy gone with the guards yet this week?"

"No but he should be going soon. He usually goes around the third or fourth day of a retreat session"

"Ok Shane you can go but keep in touch with us and with agents Morgan and Jareau and if you see or hear anything that might indicate the Shaw's know who they are, you let us know immediately. And unless you think it absolutely necessary we probably shouldn't meet again. Simply contact detective Tane via text message to keep him apprised and try and keep the language of the texts innocuous so if anyone reads them it doesn't arouse suspicion."

Hotch wasn't going to take any chances where his agents were concerned. He was concerned for this young man's safety as well because if anyone found out he was talking with them he was sure the Shaw's would not hesitate to kill him and JJ or Morgan.

"Yes sir" Shane had to admit while scary and very serious this whole thing he felt was also very cool. Secluded late night meetings, undercover FBI agents and coded text messages, he felt like James Bond.

"Be careful Shane" Tane added as a warning. The veteran detective could sense that while he was afraid the young man was also excited by all this and that could make him careless or make him take careless risks. The last thing he wanted was for this brave kid to get hurt or worse, killed.

"Trust me I will. The Shaw's scare me but what they do to people it's wrong and they need to be stopped before someone else gets hurt"

Tane couldn't help but smile to himself. The kid would make a fine cop if he ever decided to change career paths. Maybe when all this was over he would bring it up to him.

With that the young man disappeared into the darkness and Tane turned his attention back to Hotch, Rossi and Prentiss.

"What's our next move?" Emily asked as the group walked back to their respective vehicles

"Tonight, nothing. We all need some sleep. In the morning I'll have Garcia look into Sean Collier and detective" Hotch said as he turned his attention solely on Tane "we need to post some undercover officers near the gates of the compound. I want to know when people leave and when they enter"

"You go it. I'll have two of my detectives posted first thing."

With that the four of them drove off, the team heading off to their hotel to get some much needed sleep and Tane back to the precinct to get the paperwork started on the undercover operation two of his detectives would be undertaking in the morning.

As Hotch laid his head on his pillow that night two thoughts crossed his weary mind; first and foremost the safety of his team and the second was concern for two agents on the other side of compound gates. He wondered if they would be strong enough both physically and emotionally for what seemed to lie ahead of them. They had only just begun to find each other he thought and he would hate to see the bond, the relationship shattered by a twisted unsubs need for greed and power.

Inside the compound two figures lay awake each pondering the thoughts and feelings of the other too afraid to take a chance and say what is they really want from the other. Little did either know, soon all of that was going to change and the question they would both then be left with; how much would everything between them change and would it be a good thing?

_I know some of you are probably disappointed. I go all that time between updates and no JJ or Morgan in this chapter. I am sorry but hey, there is a case in this story too ya know and it has to be written about as well! LOL However, what I hinted at in the last paragraph is coming so don't fret all you JJ/M shippers like me out there will get your fix. Just hang in. ;)_

_Remember to review and again I promise I will try and get the next chapter out a lot quicker than I got this one out and posted. _


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